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The Ten Commandments for Aspiring Writers (Handed Down by a Non-Prophet Reader)
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Jim wrote: "I. Thou shall not attempt to write a book until thou has learned how to write.(Develop a working knowledge of correct grammar, punctuation, spelling and syntax.)"
Jim, these are in many ways excellent rules, but like all rules they can be broken. Agatha Christie for one never mastered rule number one, and she still did well, but of course her work was well proof read before it was published. :-)
Hákon wrote: "Jim wrote: "I. Thou shall not attempt to write a book until thou has learned how to write.(Develop a working knowledge of correct grammar, punctuation, spelling and syntax.)"
Jim, these are in ma..."
Hakon,
Your point is well-taken. There are exceptions to every rule. However, as you also point out, Agatha Christie had the resources of a major traditional publisher - copy editors, conceptual editors, layout design artists, etc.) at her disposal. Her technical writing errors were corrected by the time the finished product was released.
I appreciate you taking the time to view my original post and contributing your thoughts on the matter. Thank you.
Jim Vuksic
Nuts & bolts stuff aside, nearly 40 years after her death, Agatha Christie remains one of the world's most beloved and best-selling writers. I'll bet a number of NYT best-sellers would give their eyeteeth for her royalties.
Christie wrote: "Nuts & bolts stuff aside, nearly 40 years after her death, Agatha Christie remains one of the world's most beloved and best-selling writers. I'll bet a number of NYT best-sellers would give their e..."Christie,
I doubt if anyone will disagree with you. Ms. Christie is undoubtably the queen of the crime genre. Aside from Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple are probably two of the best known fictional detectives in crime literature. Few realize that she also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott.
Out of curiosity, did your parents choose your first name out of their regard for Ms. Christie?
Jim wrote: "Christie wrote: "Nuts & bolts stuff aside, nearly 40 years after her death, Agatha Christie remains one of the world's most beloved and best-selling writers. I'll bet a number of NYT best-sellers w..."No, I did. Many years ago I joined a spiritual group where new members chose a new name. When I was given the letter C I looked down at the table and there was one of her books. So I chose Christie.
I do violate number III, but only because I have been a copy editor for thirty-eight years—so I don’t really believe anyone can edit my work better than I can. I do pass it out to friends for reading and advice, though, and I take their advice whenever I can!
As to Commandment X, those FTC requirements are for consumer reviews/sites (or reviews/sites appearing to be consumer reviews) subject to U.S. law. Violating = felony consumer fraud plus additional charges if asking someone else to violate for you.And it's not just a review "swap" but any review to get a review program/agreement that needs disclosing. A moot point on goodreads who no longer allows review-for-review reviews (not spelled out why but I suspect a result of how no one was disclosing the things and possible FTC complaints piling up).
So long as disclosed -- most readers and most book sites don't care if a book was free for an unconditioned review so long as properly disclosed. Placing conditions on that review is a whole other issue and have to be disclosed where FTC regs and U.S. law apply (on goodreads it does) and where EU Consumer Directives in that specific member nation applies.
The FTC is also very clear that payment includes services (like getting a review in return, advertising/sponsorship considerations, etc.). If you are writing a review to get a review -- doesn't matter if it's a direct swap or how the agreement/program gets you the review -- that's a service for review that has to be disclosed.
The actual U.S. statutes are about consumer endorsements and are very clear that anything behind a review not readily apparent to the general public has to be disclosed even if not specifically listed like free product, material connections and payments. FTC doesn't care about exact wording, just that you disclose in your own words in a way clear to general public.
The EU directives will vary by country.
By getting an account on goodreads, everyone agrees to not make commercial use of goodreads (gr makes an exception for free-for-unconditioned-review books provided disclosed) and to abide by U.S. and California laws.
Jim - that is a concise and accurate list of the things every writer should be concerned with before publishing his work. There are exceptions of course, but I'm sure these "commandments" apply to 99.999999999% of the current writers.Hope you don't mind me passing this on. There are many writers who should have this taped to their writing desk.
Christine wrote: "Jim - that is a concise and accurate list of the things every writer should be concerned with before publishing his work. There are exceptions of course, but I'm sure these "commandments" apply to ..."Christine,
By all means, do pass it on. These recommendations may be obtained from any credible book, article, class or seminar on writing. I just presented them in an abbreviated format, and even that I shamelessly stole from the Old Testament.
Jim Vuksic
First rule of Aspiring Author Clubwrite, and stop talking about it ...
Alp wrote: "First rule of Aspiring Author Clubwrite, and stop talking about it ..."
:-) One could argue that there is no such thing as an aspiring writer. It's like being a little bit pregnant.
Abigail wrote: "I do violate number III, but only because I have been a copy editor for thirty-eight years—so I don’t really believe anyone can edit my work better than I can. I do pass it out to friends for readi..."This is what I did on my first (and only published) novel. I did my best to polish it myself, sent out a dozen copies to friends (both writers and non-writers in order to get full perspective), received some great feedback from about eight of them, engaged most of their comments, and proof-read the manuscript three times before final submission. On reading the finished product, I have found only six typographical errors, all of which were formatting conflicts that got missed. Not bad for a 375-page story.
Since then, I have also trained and become certified as a copyeditor, for which I have always had a penchant. But I agree wholeheartedly that if you can afford a copyeditor/proofreader, hire one, especially for non-fiction, which needs more critical attention to accuracy in references, research, and resources.
Do NOT rely on spell-check and grammar-check software. (The computer has no way of knowing if you meant to write "not" or "now." Both are correctly spelled words, but the use of one carries close to the opposite meaning to the use of the other.) The accuracy of these programs leaves much to be desired. Use them, but double-check THEIR suggestions against a good style manual or guide.
I appreciate everything you've said except that nonfiction requires more critical attention to accuracy. Obviously you don't write historical fiction. Readers are aggressive and competitive, looking to prove themselves more knowledgeable than you are and to catch you in an anachronism. When I edit historical fiction (or write it), I confirm every detail.
Judith wrote: "Obviously you don't write historical fiction. Readers are aggressive and competitive, lookin..."Not yet I don't. I do have plans for an historical novel, for which I have begun research. But you are exactly correct. I was thinking in the sense of writing a book which presents facts directly - scholarly matters. But of course, good historical fiction requires dedicated research into a number of topics.
Respectfully, I suggest that the degree of research needed for historical fiction depends on what kind of historical fiction you're writing.For instance, Georgette Heyer is the "queen" (empress, perhaps!) of Regency romance...in my never humble opinion. The details of dress and dining and clubs and meals, etc., etc., places you firmly in the period. And then there's the "queen" of historical fiction in terms of meticulous detail: Dorothy Dunnett. Check out the Lymond Chronicles (6 hardcovers) or the House of Niccolo (8 hardcovers). Stunning detail, yet incredibly complex plotting and characterization.
These two and others like them knew the period(s) in which they worked.
But I suggest there's a different kind of historical fiction, i.e., one in which the intent is to give the reader the "feel" of the period...which does require some research, particularly in terms of being sure that your word choices in dialogue are correct. But where the focus is on the characters and what they do, rather than on their surroundings, then you don't need the historical precision of Heyer or Dunnett.
Well, hell. Writing this has reminded me of the two Dunnett series (which I own in hardcover) and I suspect now that I've brought them to mind I'm going to reread them yet again.
Ah, well.
Just my USD .02.
Eric
Eric wrote: "Respectfully, I suggest that the degree of research needed for historical fiction depends on what kind of historical fiction you're writing.For instance, Georgette Heyer is the "queen" (empress, ..."
I would have to disagree that the degree of historical accuracy is lowered in such novels. All that happens is that it is the minutiae of everyday life that requires the accuracy rather than the broad sweep of history. The kinds of foods, the kind of cutlery, the slang, the prejudices, the social icons and popular gossip, the scandals, the popular magazines/newspapers, household medicines, the cost of servants and horses. It is these details that make the world "real".
Sally wrote: "Alp wrote: "First rule of Aspiring Author Clubwrite, and stop talking about it ..."
:-) One could argue that there is no such thing as an aspiring writer. It's like being a little bit pregnant."
:-)
“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” ― W. Somerset Maugham
I would agree that historical knowledge and research are necessary for whatever sort of historical fiction you are writing; just that the type of it may vary a great deal. It might be little details of ordinary life a couple of centuries (or decades) ago, or it might be the great sweep of history - go with the wrong wife of Henry VIII for a given period, and I promise you it will get spotted by somebody!Georgette Heyer and Dorothy Dunnett both did a lot of research for their books, and it paid off - in spades.
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” ― Pablo Picasso
XI. When passing on a list of commandments on writing, thou shall proofread it first and eliminate typos.
"It's up to the artist to use language that can be understood, not hide it in some private code. Most of these jokers don't even want to use language you and I know or can learn . . . they would rather sneer at us and be smug, because we 'fail' to see what they are driving at. If indeed they are driving at anything--obscurity is usually the refuge of incompetence." —Robert A. Heinlein
(Develop a working knowledge of correct grammar, punctuation, spelling and syntax.)
II. Thou shall not publish until thou hast produced a work worthy of publication.
(Be patient. Write, re-write, proofread, polish and finalize to the best of your ability.)
III. Thou shall not edit thy own work.
(The eye often sees what the brain anticipates that it will see rather than what is actually there.)
IV. Thou shall create or obtain the best quality design work possible.
(The cover and layout design may attract or discourage potential readers.)
V. Thou shall have as many formats of thy work available as possible.
(Different readers and commercial vendors prefer different formats: print, electronic, audio.)
VI. Thou shall insure that thy promotional tools are effective and appealing.
(Blurbs, excerpts, advertisements, blog posts and websites should be concise and polished.)
VII. Thou shall not spam.
(Constant and repititious pleas to read and review your work irritate potential readers.)
VIII. Thou shall be realistic and humble.
(Readers should declare a book thrilling, fantastic, remarkable or great - not the author.)
IX. Thou shall not obsess over nor challenge readers' ratings and/or reviews of thy work.
(Readers who rate/review do so to share their opinion with other readers, not the author!)
X. Thou shall not offer an incentive in exchange for a review (money, free book, swap, etc.).
(The Federal Trade Commission requires that all such reviews include a disclaimer stating so.)
Most people heed only those Biblical Commandments with which they agree and choose to ignore the others. So will it be with the above. Many believe that anyone who ignores any Biblical Commandment may suffer dire consequences. So may it be with the above.